Freig-ht-car-heatiwo



A. L. IVIOORSHEAD.

FREIGHT CAR HEATING sYsEivl.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- u u ...i /H

mamma:

Nummmu A TTOHNEY `ALFRED LEE? MOORSHEAD, OF ARLINGTON, NEW JFREIGHTCARHEATING SYSTEM.

Speecaton of Letters Batent.

Patented Oct. la, 1919.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED LEE Moonsi-rnnD, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Arlington, in the countyof Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in ]3`reight-Car-IIeating Systems, Vof which the followingis a specification.

My invention is designed for use in connection with chambers for thestorage or transportation of such goods as should be kept at a differenttemperature from that of the outside atmosphere, for instance above thefreezing point during freezing weather, and in certain of its featuresis particularly applicable to freight cars having insulated walls.

One important feature of my invention involves certain improvements inthe construction, arrangement and placing of a radiator through which aheating medium may be circulated to raise the temperature of theinterior of the car to the desired extent. The radiator may .occupyvsuch a position as not to interfere with the contents of the car, orreduce the capacity yof the storage space when the car is `used for theshipment of goods which do notvrequire to be heated. One feature of myinvention involves the mounting of the radiator whereby the latter maybe brought out to such a positi on that the air may freely circulateabout it, and a proper current of heated air delivered to the body ofthe car, or the main storage chamber thereof. Another important featureof my invention relates to the means for, maintaining` the interior ofthe car properly heated while the latter is being loaded from a ship, orwhen the car is 'being transported by water.

My improved system may be employed in connection with the transportationof any kind of goods which it isdes-ired to maintain at a temperatureabove that of .the outside air, and the temperature in the chamber ofthe car may be maintained as high or low as desired. For instance, inthe transportation of green bananas and pineapples, it is very essentialthat the fruit be kept warm, as any approach ttoward the freezing pointis not only detrimental, but delays the ripening process. In thetransportation of 'such vegetables as potatoes, and turnips, or thelike, a much lower temperature is permissible, although a freezingtemperature is injurious.

Practically all of the bananas and pineapples arriving in this countrycome by ship and are unloaded from the ship ydirectly into .cars fortransportation to inland points. By means of my invention, it ispossible to take cold ears from the yard to the dock or pier, or to runthe cold cars directly on to a car float and transmit them to the sideofv l the ship, and have the cars properly heated by the time theyarrive at the ship side ready to receive its cargo. The fruit may betaken directly from the warm hold of the ship and delivered into thewarmed cars,

without liability of injuring Ithe fruit. The

u ear may be kept heated while being returned to the railroad yard orterminal, while standing in the yard and while in transit along' theroad. The insulation wall will retain the heat while the cars are beingtransferred from the float to the tracks. Thus the fruit may be keptproperly warmed from the time it is loaded von the ship until it isunloaded from the ears at the final point of disposal.

Various changes may be made in the Aconstruction and operation ofapparatus designed for carrying out my invention, and I :thereforedesire the specific lconstructions shown in the accompanying drawings tobe considered in an illustrative rather than in a limiting sense. Inthese drawingsk to which reference is to b e had and upon whichsimilarreference characters indicate corresponding parts in the ,several views:

Figure l, is a longitudinal section ,through one end portion of afreight car constructed in accordance with my invention, said sectionbeing taken approximately on line ldl of Fig. 2'.V

2, is a transverse section of the car taken lon-the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3, is a top plan view of the radiator, and

Fig. 4:, is a partial horizontal section through the car, and taken onthe line 4 4: of Fig. 2.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a type of freight car,having compara tively thick walls of insulated construction, such as isycommonly employed in refrigerator cars. In fact my invention may be employed directly in va refrigerator ear, so that the car may be employedfor the transportation of such freight as may require a temperatureeither below or above that of the .outside atmosphere. rI`he specificcar ,illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive has a floor or bottom wall10, end .walls 11, side walls 12,

and a top wall or roof 13, each made up of a plurality of spaced layersleaving'A insulated.

air chambers therebetween. In one or both ends of the car, there isformed anice chamber 14, separated from the main storage chamber of thecar by a reticulated partition 15. Y

In applying my invention to such a car, I preferably form a recess inone of the walls, the particular one being preferably the bottom wall orfloor 10, although I might form it in the side or end wall. The innerlining 0r layer of the wall and' certain of the intermediate layers maybe removed overcertain limited areas, and a plurality of shallowrecesses 16 thus formed. Within each recess, I mount a radiator 17,which is also preferably comparatively thin or shallow and which may beformed'of pipes including a series of straight lengths and return bends.The radiator may be disposed entirely within the recess so that itsupper surface will be below the inner surfaceof the car floor, but incertain constructions is so mounted thatit may be raised out of therecess and held in such raised position.

vAlthough I have shown the radiator only in the floor and only in arecess, other arrangements within the scope of the appended claims mightbe employed. Preferably the supporting means for the radiator includes aplurality .of links 18 and 19 each pivoted to the radiator and to thefloor, so that the radiator may swing upwardly and endwise intoparallelism, for instance from the position shown in solid lines of Fig.1, to the position shown in dotted lines.

The radiator may be connected to a source of supply of heating medium inany suitable manner, but preferably two of the links 19 are in the formof pipes with-swivel connections at the ends so that the supply of steamto the radiator and the escape of eX- haust therefrom will not beaffected by a raising or lowering` of the radiator.

The swivel or pivotal joints may be of any well known type.

With the radiator' in this lower or what may be termed inoperativeposition, the recess may be closed by a coverplate 20, so that theinside iioor of the car will be substantially smooth and uninterruptedand the f ordinary freight which it is not necessary to the radiator,and may be removable or Ihinged or it may be secured to or supportedthrough. Preferably this flooring is formed y of a series of slats ornarrow boards spaced a short distance apart, and secured to a series ofsupporting strips 20 which are also preferably perforated, and arrangedso as to rest upon the solid portions of therfloor between theradiators, when the flooring is in position and the radiators are raisedas shownin Fig. 2. The supports hold the flooring at only a slightdistance above the radiators, and permit currents of heatedrair from theradiators to pass both horizontally and vertically and so distributedthroughout the body of the car. v Y

When the radiator is in lowered position, that is co-ncealed within itsrecess, I preferably remove the false flooring so as to thereby increasethe storage capacity of the bottom of the car and facilitate themovement of freight thereacross. yIn order that the false flooring maybe available at all times, I preferably provide the side walls of thecar with small brackets adjacent toV the ceiling or roof of the car, sothat the separate sections of the false flooring may be raised andfastened closely adjacent to the ceiling, as shown in Fig. 1.

ators are concealed within their respective recesses, the capacity ofthe car will not be materially reduced. I Y

For delivering heating medium to the car, any suitable form of piping,preferably beneath the floor of the car, may be provided. As shown, theradiators are arranged in pairs and supply pipes 23 extend through thefloor and connect to a main pipe 24 eX- tending lengthwise of the car.Thero'utlet from each radiator may dischargeto a return pipe line ordeliver directly to the outside atmosphere, but preferably an outletpipe 25 extends through the floor of the car; and has a condenser trap26 controlled either 'by pressure or temperature of the eX- haust fluid.These pipes are all preferably covered with insulating material, notshown. For controllingthe temperature within the car, the inlet to eachradiatoris preferably vprovided with an automatic v alve 27, controlledby a thermostatwithin the car. vAny suitable well-known form ofthermostatically controlledvalve may be employed, al-

When the:v false iooring is in this position and the radiion 4though Ipreferably use a type of valve in which compressed air, controlled -by athermostat, acts upon a diaphragm connected to .the radiator valve. Imay supply the necessary compressed air from the air brake pipe line,through a pressure reducing valve.

Instead of using the specific form of radiator shown in Figs. 1 to 4cinclusive, and heating the same by steam, I may make various changes inthe construction and operation.

By means of the constructions above described, I am able to keep theinterio-r of the car at any desired temperature, so long as an adequatesupply of heating medium is delivered through the pipe line 24. This iseasily accomplished, when the car is coupled to the locomotive, but suchcoupling is not possible in many localities at the time when the car isbeing loaded. As previo-usly stated, such fruits as bananas andpineapples arrive in this country almost entirely by ship, and thecommon method of handling these fruits as well as other freight at manySeaports, such for instance as New York, necessitates the transportingof `the cars to and from the ship side on car floats.

My invention permits maintaining the car in proper. heating condition,while being transporated to and from the ship side, and while beingloaded. The cars are commonly moved from the railroad terminal to theship side on car oats which may have suitable couplings for connectingthem to the steam pipes on `the cars so that when an order is receivedfor the unloading of the cargo from a ship, the car float may take onits load of empty cold freight cars and proceed to the ship. In themeantime, the radiators may be raised to operative position, the falseflooring lowered and the.

steam turned on, also the lining paper and hay may be put in place ifsuch be employed. By the time the barge reaches the ship side, the carswill be adequately heated to permit the immediate transfer of the fruitthereto. Instead of supplying heat from the heating plant on the float,steam may be taken from the boiler of the tug conveying the float, orsteam from the tug boiler may be delivered to the boiler of the floatplant, to hurry the heating of the latter if it be cold when called intouse. The heating plant 31 may be heated with oil fuel which may bestored on the float or on the pier. A steam pipe line may be run alongthe pier if desired.

By means of my invention, not only is great saving of time effected, butthere is also a great reduction of the liability of freezing the fruit,and the heating of the cars is rendered much safer than is the casewhere the old method is employed which involves the placing of a seriesof oil stoves in each car to warm it before the fruit is loaded, and astopping of the train at different points along the line to reheat thecars by oil stoves, if the weather be particularly cold, or if the tripbe a long one. I also reduce the number of men which need be employed atthe terminal and a smaller train .crew can properly take care of thecargo.

The cars may be used for handling the ordinary freight as the featuresinvolving my invention do not in any way interfere with the general useof the car. When it is desired to transport goods to be heated, .theparts involved in the heating system may be brought into operation in avery few minutes and without requiring any skilled labor.

I-Iaving thus `described my invention, what I claim as new and desirelto protect by Letters Patent is, I

1. Al freight car having a recess in the floor thereof, a closure forsaid recess, a radiator, a supply conduit, and connections between said`conduit and said radiator., and permitting the latter to be raised outof said recess and supported above said floor upon the removal of saidclosure.

2. A freight car having a recess in the floor thereof, a radiatornormally disposed within said recess, a closure for said recess, asupply conduit, connections between said conduit and said radiator, andpermitting the latter to be raised out of said recess and supportedabove said floor upon the removal of said closure, and a removable falseflooring .adapted to be supported above said radiator, when the latteris in its raised position.

3. In combination, a radiator, links pivoted thereto adjacent toopposite ends, and permitting said radiator to be raised or lowered withrespect to its support, and a false flooring sup-ported above saidradiator when the latter is in raised position, and rhaving openingstherethrough for the circulation of air. p

4. A freight car having a chamber, a substantiallv flat radiatornormally disposed closely adgacent to the floor of said chamber, meansfor supporting said radiator in a raised or lowered position,.andperforated Afalse -iiooring .removably supported above said radiatorwhen the latter is in raised position.

5. A freight car having a recess 4in one wall thereof, a radiatormovable into or out of said recess, a closure for said recess when saidradiator is disposed within the latter, and a removable wall adapted tocover said radiator when the latter is moved out of said recess.

6. A freight car having a recess in the floor thereof, a radiatormovable to a position within said recess and below the Vinner surface ofsaid wall, a closure for said recess, serving to conceal said radiator,supports for holding said radiator in raised position out of saidrecess, and a false flooring adapted to be supported above said radiatorwhen the latter is in a raised position, and permitting a freecirculation of air between the main body of said car and the spacebetween the car floor and said false flooring.

7 In combination a freight car, a radiator therein, means for-supportingsaid radiator closely adjacentto or spaced from one wall of lsaid car, asupply conduit beneath the car floor and connected with said radiator, asubstantially imperforate cover for said radiator when the latter is inthe first mentioned position, and a perforated cover for said radiatorwhen the latter is in said second-mentioned position.

8. In combination, a chamber having a recess in the floor thereof, aradiator, a supply conduit,- connections betweenV said conduit and saidradiator and permitting` a raising and lowering of said radiator out ofor into said recess, means for supporting said radiator in raisedposition, and a removable false flooringV adapted to be supported abovesaid radiator when the latter is in its raised position. v

9. A freight car having a wall provided with a recess therein extendinglengthwise thereof, a radiator formed of a plurality of pipes connectedtogetherin series and extending lengthwise of said recess, a supplyconduit, an exhaust conduit, connections between said conduits and saidradiator y*whereby the latter may be swung into or radiator whereby thelatter may be swung upwardly, means for supporting said radiator inraised position, and a removable false flooring disposed above saidradiator when the latter is in raised position.

11. A freight car having a recess in one wall thereof, a closure forsaid recess, a radiator, a supply conduit and connections i Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for between said conduit andsaidradiator-'and permitting the latter to be moved out of said recessand supported within the chamber of the car upon the removal of saidclosure.

12. A freight car having one wall thereof provided with a recess thereinextending lengthwise of the car, a radiator formed of a plurality ofpipes connected together in 'series and extending lengthwise of saidrecess, Ya supply conduit, an exhaust conduit, connections between saidconduits and said radiator whereby the latter maybe swung out of or intosaid recess, and means for pre venting goods within the ,body of the carfrom coming in contact with said radiator when the latter is moved outof said recess.

13. A freight car having supply and exhaust conduits extending throughthe floor thereof, a radiator within the car and connected to saidsupply and exhaust conduits, said radiator being normally disposed belowthe level of the upper surface of the ioor v and movable substantiallyvertically withV respect to said floor and said conduits, whereby it mayoccupy a position spaced above said floor, and means for preventinggoods within said car from coming in contact with said radiator when thelatter isin said.

raised position. Y

14. A freight car having a steam supply pipe extending lengthwisethereofand beneath the Hoor, a pair of recesses in the upper surface of thefloor and extending lengthwise of the car upon opposite sides of thecenter line, a radiator at each recess, I

each of said radiators being formed of a plurality of pipes connectedtogether in series and extending lengthwise -of thecadj acent recess,and separate connections extending from said radiators to said supplypipe and permitting the raising and lowering of said radiators.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 10th day of July, A. D. 1914. VALFRED LEE MOORSHEAD.

Witnesses:

C. W. FAIRBANK, MANVEL WHITTEMORE.

ve cents-each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

